PANAJI
Activist Sudip Tamhankar has accused Karnataka of misleading the Mahadayi Interstate Water Disputes Tribunal in a bid to receive a share of water larger than it deserves.
In his affidavit filed before the Supreme Court, where Tamhankar has filed an intervention application, Tamhankar has argued that while Karnataka claimed the allotment was granted due to Karnataka’s claim that the diversion into the Malaprabha Dam is for drinking water requirement of Hubli and Dharwad -- twin cities and surrounding areas of Malaprabha basin.
“However, this was a glaring example of manipulation and deceit on the part of the State of Karnataka, as this particular dam is the major supplier of water for irrigating cash crops,” Tamhankar said in his affidavit.
The allotment of 3.9 TMC total water requirement calculated by the Tribunal is for the projected population for the year 2044 of Hubli, Dharwad and surrounding areas. So the actual requirement at present would be far below 3.9 TMC. However, the state of Karnataka is all set to divert 3.9 TMC right from the beginning,” he also said.
Tamhankar’s application has sought that the Supreme Court strike down the MWDT’s award of 2018 which granting 3.9 tmc of water to Karnataka also alleging that Karnataka has been illegally diverting water since then.
“The State of Karnataka has indulged in acts which have resulted in the diversion of the Mahadayi waters to the Malprabha basin, amounting to disturbing the natural flow of Mahadayi water into the State of Goa. The flow of two nallahs at Ch.180m and 630m are diverted wilfully to Malaprabha since 2018 before declaration of Award by the Tribunal, through the interconnecting RCC box conduit, into Malaprabha Basin, by altering the gradient of the river bed which has been achieved by excavation at the confluence of the tributary of River Kalasa at Ch.180 mts, and by halting the flow towards the State of Goa by dumping mud in the river bed at Ch.180 mts on the Goa side,” he said.
“This has resulted in diversion and a change in course of the water flow of the Mahadayi River, which naturally ought to have flown towards the State of Goa, towards the Malaprabha basin instead. Further, despite the direction of the MWDT vide order dated 17/04/2014 directing the RCC conduit at Kankumbi site to be plugged, water is still flowing through the said conduit towards the Malaprabha basin,” he said.
“The State of Karnataka has failed in its approach of conceiving, as well as planning, and thereby has created an artificial shortage of water by faulty planning and mis-management of the available water resources. Only 0.201 tmc had been provided for drinking water in the approved revised DPR of Malaprabha Dam. The State of Karnataka cannot now rely upon Mahadayi waters to either augment its water availability in Malaprabha region nor use the same waters of Mahadayi basin, but it has to manage its own resources and water availability, as available to it in Malaprabha basin,” he also said.
“According to the National Water Policy, drinking water takes precedence over all other uses, yet Karnataka has failed to safeguard this important resource due to colossal wastage through damaged pipelines and illegal diversion to water-guzzling cash crops,” Tamhankar also said.
The Goa government has challenged the MWDT’s award before the Supreme Court, while Karnataka too has challenged the order alleging that the Tribunal erred in granting them as little water as they did.
